photo: DOWNTOWN EXPRESS
Chinatown residents group backs Thompson for mayor
By Julie Shapiro Downtown Express
Comptroller Bill Thompson got a boost in his campaign for mayor this week when the Civic Center Residents Coalition endorsed him.
Thompson joined about 20 members of the C.C.R.C. in Chatham Square Tuesday afternoon for the announcement. The location was no accident — one reason the coalition of Chinatown residents and businesses supports Thompson is because he opposes Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Chatham Square reconfiguration plan.
Thompson has also promised that if elected he will reopen Park Row. The street was closed after 9/11 for security reasons and Bloomberg has said repeatedly that it should remain closed.
“I haven’t received that from anyone in eight years,” Jan Lee, a Chinatown business owner and C.C.R.C. leader, said of Thompson’s commitment. “Everything we as activists in Chinatown are fighting for is embodied in [Thompson’s] campaign. He’s not afraid to say these things.”
Lee also appreciates Thompson’s opposition of congestion pricing and East River bridge tolls.
City Council candidates Margaret Chin and Pete Gleason also attended the announcement and endorsed Thompson. C.C.R.C. has not yet endorsed in the First District Council race, but is interviewing candidates now, Lee said.
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